Turkish mystic poet and writer belonging to the dervish group named Abdālān-ı
Rūm(ابدالان روم) , who was the
first major representetive and the most influential forerunner of the genre which
later came to be known as Alevi-Bektashi literature. Information on Ḳayġusuz Abdāl's life relies
entirely on the references in his poems as well as the hagiographies of him and
his master Abdāl Mūsā. Some scholars
consider the name " Ġaybī(غيبي) which figures in his hagioraphy to be his real name.
Other scholars, however, assert that this name rather resembles a pen name. His
hagiography indicates that he was the son the Bey (Governor) of ‘Alā‘iye which is considered by some scholars as to be the reason for
his occasional use of the pen name Sarāyī(سرايي). He served in the dervish lodge of his
master Abdāl Mūsā (fl. 14th century) [1300-1399 CE])
which, according to historical documents, was initially located near Finike (Southern Anatolia) and later moved to the village of Tekke in Elmalı (Niğde, Turkey) . After obtaining icāzetnāme(اجازة
نامه), Ḳayġusuz Abdāl
travelled to Egypt
where he found a dervish lodge in his own name. This dervish lodge as well as that
of Abdāl Mūsā later became very
important Bektashi centers. The references in his poems to place names in the
Balkans as well as the existence of a neighborhood and a fountain named Ḳayġusuz in Bitola (Macedonia) have led scholars to believe that
Ḳayġusuz either travelled to
the Balkans or lived here for some time. His hagiography narrates his pilgrimage
to Mecca and the cities he visited
on his return, some of which include the sacred places of the Alevi-Bektashi and
Shi’îte traditions, such as Kufah
(Iraq), Najaf (Iraq) ,
Karbalāʼ (Iraq). It also gives a
detailed account of his meeting with the Egyptian sultan which, in contrast to his
other travels, cannot be verified through references in his works. Aḥmed Sırrı
Baba(d. 1965 [1965 CE], ), the
last shaykh of the Bektashi lodge in Cairo
(Egypt), gives specific dates for
Ḳayġusuz's travels and death (the date of 848 AH [1444 CE] for the latter), but does not
make reference to any written sources. Two traditions exist on Ḳayġusuz's place of death, in
parallel with the two distinct branches of his hagiography. According to one of
these traditions, Ḳayġusuz
died in Egypt and was buried in a
cave in the mountain of Moqattam.
This tradition is the source of the name ‘Abdullāhu’l-Maġavrī given to him by the people of Egypt. According to the second tradition, he was
buried in Abdāl Mūsā dervish lodge in the
village of Tekke. However, the fact
that Evliyā Çelebī does no mention
this tomb in his description of the dervish lodge makes doubtful the references in
the kitābe of the tomb, which belongs to a
later date. Ḳayġusuz Abdāl is the first poet
known to call himself Bektāşī. His
relation to Ḥacı Bektāş can be traced
through his master Abdāl Mūsā,
who was a follower (muḥibb) of Ḥacı Bektāş's spiritual
daughter, Ḳadıncıḳ Ana. Abdāl Mūsā
is also known for his participation in the conquest of Bursa which according to legend ties him to the
Bektashisation of the Janissaries. According to the Bektashi tradition, Ḳayġusuz Abdāl initiated the use
of the twelve-gored Qalandarī cap (ṭāc(طاج)). He
and his master are nameholders of two of the twelve sheepskin ceremonial seats
(pūṣt (پوصت)) in the Bektāshī
meydān (ceremonial room), linking them to the duties of naḳīb(ناقيب)
and ayaḳçı(اياقچي) in the Bektashi ceremony (cem‘(جمع)). A
miniature of Ḳayġusuz Abdāl based on an older
copy was painted by Levnī in the
18th
century [1700-1799 CE]( TSMK, Albüm, nr. 2164, fol. 22b). Ḳayġusuz Abdāl also used his pen
name in the form "Ḳayġusuz", which
sometimes leads to the confusion of his poems in the cönk(جونك)
and mecmū‘a(مجموعة) with those of a second Ḳayġusuz named Alāeddīn
el-Vizevī(علاء الدين الوزوي) who
lived in the 16th
century [1500-1599 CE] and belonged to the Malāmī(ملامي) movement.
A prose work on Sufi themes and concepts with didactic and symbolic content. Show more
Poems of Ḳayġusuz Abdāl figure between 10v-11r.
Writing in Greek on 1v. The title in the manuscript is
Sergüẕeşt-i Ḳayġusuz Abdāl(سرکذشت قيغوسوز ابدال)
but the content is that of Delīl-i Budalā(دليل بدلا).
A work of prose and poetry consisting of Sufi themes and counsels with an
emphasis on the doctrine of the oneness of being. The work includes sections in
Persian.
Ḳayġusuz Abdāl
does not have a müretteb dīvān. However, in a manuscript dated 907, over 130 of his poems appear under the title Dīvān.
These poems exemplify a great influence of Yūnus Emre in language and content. AfterYūnus Emre, Ḳayġusuz Abdāl
is considered to be the second important representative of the Anatolian genre of şatḥıyye (شتحيّة).
His poems are characterized by joyous expressions of the oneness of being, satirical humor, strong irony and political criticism,
as well as references to daily life with the names of various dishes and animals. His Ḳaṣīde-i Ṭolab
(قصيدۀ ﻂﻮﻻﺏ) and his ḳoşma
named Ṣalāt-nāme (صلاة نامه)
are also part of the Dīvān. Show more
The name of the collection does not appear on yazmalar.gov.tr.
The longest edition of thismes̱nevī consists of 70 couplets.
The subject of the work is the essence of Muhammad which is given the name “
gevher (كوهرنامه)” (gem). Show more
The title in the catalogue is erroneous because Gevhernāme is a very short mathnawi and cannot last for 100 folios.
Mes̱nevī-i Baba Ḳayġusuz between 287r-312v. The last part of the manuscript is in another handwriting and looks more recent.
The copy date is erroneously given as 920 in the catalogue.
This mes̱nevī on Sufi themes is unedited. Its oldest manuscript is found in the Berlin Staatsbibliothek and consists
of 2140 couplets. The reference to the length of 3700 couplets at the end of the manuscript has led researchers to believe
that the first part of the work is missing. A second manuscript in the Milli Kütüphane consists of 2204 couplets.
A prose work consisting of the symbolic account of a dervish’s spiritual voyage,
in which he alternates between states of dreaming and wakefulness. The prose text is
cut through with poetry consisting of two couplets expressing the doctrine of the
oneness of being. Show more
Title of work and name of copyist erroneous in the catalogue. Name of work
appears as Maġlaṭa-i Ḳayġusuz in the
manuscript.
Within the Menākıbnāme figure the following poems (among others): Gevhernāme
between 23v-26r; Ḳaṣīde-i Ṭolab between 27r-28v;
Minbernāme between 35v-37v; Ṣalātnāme between
37v-38r.
This mes̱nevī on Sufi themes is written
with the syllabic meter and consists of 1033 couplets. It includes counsels for the
novice, ecstatic sayings expressing the oneness of being, references to food and
daily life. At the end of the mes̱nevī the
poet states that he is Bekdāşī.
This mes̱nevī on Sufi themes is written with the syllabic meter and consists of 1033 couplets.
It includes counsels for the novice, ecstatic sayings expressing the oneness of being, references to food and daily life. At the end of the
mes̱nevī the poet states that he is Bekdāşī.
An essay on Sufism in question and answer format with no title. The name of Ḳayġusuz Abdāl does not appear in it, and the content does not resemble any of his works. This may thus be a catalogue mistake.
A work of prose and poetry on Sufi themes and counsels, centered around the
comparison of the world to a palace owned by a sultan, the ornaments of which can
lead the novice astray.
